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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden will meet in Washington on Friday to discuss whether Ukraine should be allowed to use Western-supplied long-range missiles against Russia, an option that would exacerbate tensions with Moscow, as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that giving Ukraine the green light to launch attacks deep into Russian territory with long-range weapons would mean NATO is “at war” with Moscow.
Starmer’s visit to the United States comes as Kiev presses for permission to use weapons and ensure Western assistance in shooting down Russian missiles and drones.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin’s warning was very clear. “We have no doubt that this statement reached the right people,” he said.
British media reported that Biden, who is concerned about igniting a nuclear conflict, is prepared to allow Ukraine to use British and French missiles based on American technology, but not missiles manufactured in the United States.
In response to Putin’s warning, Starmer told British media reporters accompanying him: “Russia started this conflict. Russia started the war in Ukraine illegally. Russia can end this conflict immediately.”
In a sign of rising tensions, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it had withdrawn the accreditation of six diplomats from the British embassy in Moscow, accusing them of espionage.
But the British government has dismissed the Russian accusations as “completely baseless” and said the move was in response to new restrictions imposed on Russian diplomats in May.
Friday’s talks come as Biden prepares to leave office, with polls showing a close race between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 presidential election.
Trump repeatedly declined to express support for either side in the war during his debate with Harris on Tuesday, saying only, “I want the war to stop.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday he would meet with Biden “this month” to present a “plan for victory” on how to end two and a half years of war with Russia.
He also noted that Kyiv’s recent operation in Russia’s Kursk border region had “slowed down” Moscow’s advance in eastern Ukraine, stressing that 40,000 Russian troops were currently fighting in the region.
But he accused the West of exaggerating its “fear” even about raising the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles and drones, despite Western countries directly participating in helping Israel do so in recent months.
– “War with Russia” –
Starmer is due to meet Biden in the Oval Office at 4:30 p.m. local time (2030 GMT) but there are no scheduled meetings at this stage with either Trump or Harris, both of whom are busy with their election campaigns on Friday.
Biden said Thursday he was “working” on Ukraine’s demands, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Secretary of State David Lamy made a rare joint visit to Kyiv on Wednesday.
Blinken pledged that Washington would quickly consider Kyiv’s long-standing request and “we will adapt as necessary” to help Ukraine defend itself.
Washington currently allows Ukraine to strike only Russian targets in parts of Ukraine and other border areas directly linked to Moscow’s combat operations.
But Putin, who has threatened nuclear conflict since the war began in February 2022, has warned the United States and the United Kingdom against such a move.
“This will change the nature of the conflict dramatically,” he said on Thursday. “It will mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries are at war with Russia.”
Biden has supported Ukraine since the war began, providing it with billions of dollars in aid.
But he has avoided risking new types of weapons, while Ukraine had to wait until this year to receive American-made F-16 fighter jets.
The upcoming US elections mean time is running out as Kiev anxiously awaits the possibility of Trump returning to the White House.
The former Republican president’s support for Kiev appeared lukewarm, while he repeatedly praised Putin.
In his debate with Harris on Tuesday, Trump pledged to reach a deal to end the war “before I even become president,” a deal that many Ukrainians fear could force them to accept Russian gains.
In return, the Vice President pledged to continue supporting Ukraine if elected.
